Medication dispensing and control unit

• US 8,874,260 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aumat Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leon Saltsov
• Inventors: Saltsov, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US13/442,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20120259456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/240, 700/244
• US Class Current: 700/244
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0076 Medicament distribution means with pill counting devices A61J7/02; with time indication A61J7/04; containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A medication and dispensing system tracks the medication of multiple users over time and preferably combines this information with periodic test results provided to the system. The system is designed to allow remote access electronically to authorized users whereby doctors or other medical professionals can review the data of actual medication dispensed and preliminary test results accumulated over time. Preliminary analysis of the data is conducted by the system to determine alert conditions. Such alert conditions include incorrect medication dispensing (i.e. failure to take a prescribed medication) and test results that warrant investigation. Many different types of alerts may be programmed into the software of the device.

Claims

1. An automated system for medication dispensing and control comprising

a computer processing arrangement;

a medication receiving structure for receiving a series of medication cassettes assigned to at least one individual user;

an arrangement for receiving information associated with each medication cassette identifying at least a user, a quantity of medication and a dosage regime;

a computer database associated with said computer processor arrangement for storing said received information;

a medication dispensing arrangement associated with said medication receiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages of medication contained in said cassettes and tracking of said dispensed dosages by user in said computer database;

a communication arrangement for connecting test equipment to said system and entering and storing user test results in said computer database;

said computer processing arrangement including preliminary analysis of said dispensed medication and said test results to identify alert conditions associated with a user with respect to events warranting further consideration; and

wherein said medication receiving structure is a rotary drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and said rotary drum includes a series of cassette receiving slots adjacent a periphery of the rotary drum for receiving said medication cassettes;

said rotary drum being rotatable for aligning said cassette receiving slots with a cassette loading position to load said cassettes and to align any received cassette with a dispensing station at a lower edge of said rotary drum for dispensing of medication.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system includes a communication arrangement for sending of information to one or more predetermined addresses stored in said computer database.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said system includes predetermined alert conditions and said system automatically sends any detected alert conditions associated with any user to a predetermined address entered in said database with respect to the specific user.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said predetermined alert conditions include failure to dispense a medication according to the dispensing regime.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said cassette receiving slots are at least 8 cassette receiving slots spaced about a periphery of said rotary drum and each cassette receiving slot receives a medication cassette.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispensing station includes a medication container for receiving medication of a user for daily use and a displacement actuating controlled by said computer processing arrangement to position said medication container beneath said dispensing station to receive medication into individual cells within said medication container.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 including optical sensing associated with received medication cassettes to confirm the contents thereof and optical sensing to confirm a medication has been dispensed into a cell of said medication container.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system includes monitored predetermined conditions for executing a variation of a given medication dispensing regime.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said variation of a given medication dispensing regime includes a change in dosage of a given medication or critical dispensing of an emergency medication or dispensing of an alternate medication.

10. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said predetermined conditions include monitored test results or a user input override or a combination of monitored test results.

11. In a medication dispensing and control system a device for receiving and control of medication cassettes and dispensing of medication retained in a molded core of each cassette;

said device including

a computer controller for controlling operation of said device and maintaining an electronic record of medication loaded and dispensed;

a rotary drum for receiving medication cassettes at a load position of said rotary drum and movable to a dispensing position for sequential unloading of cells of any of said medication cassettes;

said rotary drum including a plurality of cassette receiving slots where each cassette is received in one of a series of cassette receiving slots;

a drive arrangement for said rotary drum to rotate said rotary drum and move any received cassettes between said load position and said dispensing position;

an extractor provided at said dispensing position for sequential withdrawal of the molded core of any cassette at said dispensing position; and

a dispensing container at said dispensing position for receiving dispensed medication suitable for a predetermined period;

and wherein said computer controller includes an input arrangement for receiving information associated with each received cassette and receiving information regarding medication to be dispensed for said predetermined period;

said computer controller controlling said device to dispense medication for said predetermined period at said dispensing position and into said dispensing container.

12. An automated system for medication dispensing and control comprising

a computer processing arrangement;

a medication receiving structure for receiving a series of medication cassettes assigned to at least one individual user;

an arrangement for receiving information associated with each medication cassette identifying at least a user, a quantity of medication and a dosage regime;

a computer database associated with said computer processor arrangement for storing said received information;

a medication dispensing arrangement associated with said medication receiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages of medication contained in said cassettes and tracking of said dispensed dosages by user in said computer database;

an input arrangement for receiving test results and tracking of said test results in said computer database; and

wherein said medication receiving structure is a rotary drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and said rotary drum includes a series of cassette receiving slots adjacent a periphery of the rotary drum for receiving said medication cassettes;

said rotary drum being rotatable for aligning said cassette receiving slots with a cassette loading position to load said cassettes and to align any received cassette with a dispensing station at a lower edge of said rotary drum for dispensing of medication.

13. An automated system for medication dispensing and control as claimed in claim 12 wherein said computer processing arrangement correlates said test results to the execution of a given medication dispensing regime.

14. An automated system for medication dispensing and control as claimed in claim 13 wherein said test results are correlated to a variation of a given medication dispensing regime including a change in dosage of a given medication or critical dispensing of an emergency medication or dispensing of an alternate medication.

15. An automated system for medication dispensing and control comprising

a computer processing arrangement;

a medication receiving structure for receiving one or more medications assigned to at least one individual user;

an arrangement for receiving information associated with each medication identifying at least a user, a quantity of medication and a dosage regime;

a computer database associated with said computer processor arrangement for storing said received information;

a medication dispensing arrangement associated with said medication receiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages of medication and tracking of said dispensed dosages by user in said computer database;

a communication arrangement for connecting test equipment to said system and entering and storing user test results in said computer database;

said computer processing arrangement including preliminary analysis of said dispensed medication and said test results to identify alert conditions associated with a user with respect to events warranting further consideration;

and wherein said test equipment includes at least one data receiver associated with a microchip based sensor;

said data receiver receiving and accumulating sensed conditions of said microchip sensor;

said data receiver being connectible with said computer processing arrangement and downloading said received and sensed conditions to said computer database and

wherein said medication receiving structure is a rotary drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and said rotary drum includes a series of cassette receiving slots adjacent a periphery of the rotary drum for receiving said medication cassettes;

said rotary drum being rotatable for aligning said cassette receiving slots with a cassette loading position to load said cassettes and to align any received cassette with a dispensing station at a lower edge of said rotary drum for dispensing of medication.

16. An automated system as claimed in claim 15 wherein said data receiver receives and accumulates sensed conditions detected by a consumable microchip capsule sensor.

17. An automated system as claimed in claim 16 wherein said sensed conditions include detected physical conditions of the user.

18. An automated system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said arrangement for receiving information associated with each medication includes a separate database form for receiving information to be received from a microchip based sensor and uses said separate database form for storing of received information associated with the microchip based sensor.